Organization of the Month: West Kootenay EcoSociety Vision: “The West Kootenay region is the pre-eminent rural-Canadian model of inclusive and ecologically sustainable living. 100% renewable energy... Read more

The State of Organics in Canada – A Performance Report

The First-Ever Look at Organics in Canada

In July 2017, the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) released a performance report on the state of organics in Canada. The overall goal of the report was to build government support of the organic sector. The first of its kind, the report looked at organics from the federal, provincial and territorial levels. The report found that organics in Canada have been expanding throughout the past decade and are consequently thriving.

Organics in BC

British Columbia, in particular, has one of the country’s longest histories of growing and eating organic, and is no exception to the national growth trend. BC has “the strongest organic market in Canada, with 66% of consumers buying organic weekly,” said Jen Gamble, executive director of operations for the Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC). In an effort to provide consistent regulations, The Ministry of Agriculture announced that organic standards (which are currently voluntary in BC) will become mandatory as of 2018, making BC the 5th province in the country to have provincial regulations.

When the new regulations come into effect, all food
and beverages marketed as ‘organic’ in BC must be
certified through an accredited certifying body.

Sign up for Enews

Navigate

Friendly. Healthy. Community owned.

We are a large, consumer-owned co-operative offering a wide variety of tasty, healthy foods, high quality wellness products and truly friendly service in the heart of the wacky, wonderful hamlet of Nelson, BC.